Mauer, Twins agree to 8-year, $184 million extension

The AL MVP agreed to an eight-year, $184 million contract
extension with Minnesota on Sunday that includes a full no-trade
clause, a massive deal that shows the Twins are no longer a frugal
small-market club.

The deal covers the 2011-2018 seasons and is the fourth largest
-- both in total value and average salary -- in Major League history.
Starting next season, the All-Star catcher will make an average of
$23 million per season.

The team said on Sunday evening that neither Mauer nor team
officials would comment until a news conference scheduled for 7
p.m. EDT on Monday at the team's spring training facility in Fort
Myers, Fla.

With the announcement, the entire state of Minnesota can take a
deep breath and relax.

"184 million for Mauer! Wow," Twins center fielder Denard Span
tweeted on Sunday night. "I'm glad it got done so we can all
concentrate on winning now."

The 26-year-old Mauer, who has won three AL batting titles and
is considered one of the best defensive catchers in the game, was
entering the final year of his current contract.

Even though both he and the Twins insisted all along that he
would be staying in Minnesota, Twins fans were growing more nervous
by the day as negotiations dragged on.

Mauer wins MVPMPR Photo/Brandt Williams

Manager Ron Gardenhire joked this winter that the Twins were
simply deciding whether to "give him Minneapolis or St. Paul."

By the looks of it, the Twins gave him both.

Agent Ron Shapiro and Twins brass eventually worked out the
deal, ensuring that the hometown favorite wouldn't be lured away by
one of the many big spenders that were salivating at the thought of
adding the sweet-swinging lefty to their battery after this season.

Then the Twins, who have become much more fiscally aggressive as
they prepare to open Target Field in 2010, came through with a
staggering package.

The $184 million total worth is fourth behind two deals signed
by Alex Rodriguez - the $275 million deal with the Yankees signed
in December 2007 and a $252 million contract signed with Texas in
December 2000 - and Derek Jeter's $189 million deal signed with the
Yankees in 2001 that expires after this season.

The only players to have a higher average salary than Mauer's
$23 million are Roger Clemens ($28,000,022 prorated deal in 2007 -
he actually received $17,442,637 - with the Yankees) and Rodriguez,
who had average salaries of $25.2 million under the 2001-10
contract originally signed with Texas that he cut short and $27.5
million in a deal with the Yankees that runs through 2017.

“184 million for Mauer! Wow.”

Tweet from Twins player Denard Span

Yankees ace CC Sabathia also has an average salary of $23
million as part of a deal that runs from 2009-15.

Mauer, the St. Paul native, was the No. 1 overall pick by the
Twins in 2001 and quickly emerged as a fan favorite. The 6-foot-5
former star quarterback at Cretin Derham-Hall High School almost
single-handedly brought sideburns back into style in the Twin
Cities and receives marriage proposals by the dozens from giddy
female fans at every home game.

Shy and soft-spoken, Mauer has tried to avoid the spotlight, but
even that became more difficult as his on-field accomplishments
piled up.

Last year, after missing the first month of the season with a
back injury, Mauer hit .365 with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs to help
the Twins win the AL Central division.

For years, the Twins were considered penny-pinchers, and fans
were angered when the team traded ace Johan Santana to the Mets and
let center fielder Torii Hunter leave in free agency before the
2008 season.

But the Pohlad family has grown bolder in recent seasons as the
opening of new, revenue-producing Target Field approached. They
signed first baseman Justin Morneau, a close friend and former
roommate of Mauer's, to a six-year, $80 million deal in 2008.

This year they added shortstop J.J. Hardy, second baseman
Orlando Hudson and slugger Jim Thome and signed center fielder
Denard Span and pitcher Nick Blackburn to long-term deals, showing
Mauer that they weren't afraid to spend the money necessary to
surround him with a capable supporting cast.

Then came the Mauer deal, which is $104 million more than
they've ever spent on a contract and vaulted them into a financial
stratosphere typically reserved for the big-market clubs in New
York, Boston and Los Angeles.

Now the Twins can christen the new stadium in style when it
opens in April, with their homegrown superstar behind the plate for
this year and many more to come.